PROFILE
FINDING A NICHE
Strand Hardware celebrates its 30th birthday this November. Managing director Catherine Franks talks to Nicky Roger about the ‘best kept secret’ in the industry them with different colours, sizes and finishes. The firm also offers technical guidance and advice, which it’s able to do as it puts its staff through GAI education programmes. “We are adding more products as time goes on,” says Catherine. “But our USP is offering niche products and guidance on them. “The key to our success is customer service – we take care of our customers and we protect our reputation for good service. “We invest in staff training – even though we’re not doing scheduling as we feel it’s important staff know the market and the products so they can offer advice when customers call with queries.” Strand boasts a loyal longserving staff. As well as putting staff through the GAI education programme Strand also supported the GAI Members’ Day in May this year and Catherine will once again sit on the judging panel for the GAI/RIBA Specification Awards taking place next year.
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hen Strand Hardware celebrated its 25th birthday it threw a big party for its key customers, but as it turns to a more mature 30 it will honour the occasion by sending out a memento to its customer base of architectural ironmongers and select distributors. The firm offers window and door hardware, emergency exit and panic hardware, window control systems, Glass Central and D-fine – panic exit 20
devices constructed entirely out of 316 stainless steel. Established in 1991 by Jonathan Franks, the Walsall firm is now run by his daughter Catherine, who took over at the helm in 2006. The company is the sole UK distributor for leading European manufacturers such as Athmer (finger protectors) and Antipanic (panic hardware). Its offer includes being able to add value to those products by customising
Above: Catherine Franks Right: Catherine with her father Jonathan Franks the founder of the business
A year of change Changes this year include appointing a PR firm to reach out to potential new customers via trade press and social media and to raise the profile among end users because, as Catherine says, “we were one of the industry’s best kept secrets”. 2021 has also seen Catherine embark on a new business venture as one of three founders of Strand Technologies. Set up with Paul Ryan and Simon Bowden, it’s a new company moving into a rapidlygrowing market offering technologybased solutions for safety, security and control. The trio all run and manage businesses within the door hardware and automatic doors section and
ARCHITECTURAL IRONMONGERY JOURNAL
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